After two seasons on the air, Taylor Tomlinson’s late-night game show “After Midnight” is going dark.
The CBS talk show, which filled the network’s 12:30 a.m. slot following James Corden’s 2023 departure from “The Late Late Show,” will air its series finale in June, a year and a half after the program’s January 2024 debut.
Although “After Midnight” was renewed for a third season, Tomlinson is departing the show to focus on her stand-up comedy career.
“Hosting ‘After Midnight’ has genuinely been the experience of a lifetime, and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible journey,” Tomlinson said in a statement. “Though it was an extremely tough decision, I knew I had to return to my first passion and return to stand-up touring full-time.
“I appreciate CBS, Stephen Colbert, the producers, and the entire ‘After Midnight’ staff and crew for all the love, support, and unforgettable memories.”
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Fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert, who serves as an executive producer on the show, thanked CBS in a statement for its “constant support and invaluable partnership on ‘After Midnight,'” as well as the show’s staff for its “amazing dedication.”
“While we were excited and grateful for our third season to start in the fall, we respect Taylor’s decision to return to stand-up full time,” Colbert said.
“After Midnight,” which drew inspiration from the Comedy Central game show “@midnight,” saw Tomlinson lead a panel of comedians through a series of arbitrary games and quizzes for points.
Review: Taylor Tomlinson tries something new with ‘After Midnight.’ It’s just OK.
While the series could charm with its “occasionally chuckle-worthy and entirely inoffensive” programming, USA TODAY’s TV critic Kelly Lawler called “After Midnight” a “half-baked cable timeslot filler.”
“It’s an outright crime that CBS took its first female late-night host and gave her a crummy, cheap format,” Lawler wrote. “On the outside, it seems forward-thinking, breaking free of the desk-and-couch format that has dominated the genre for decades. But what it really does is restrict Tomlinson.”
Tomlinson is best known for her Netflix comedy specials “Quarter-Life Crisis” and “Look at You.” The comedian is currently performing on her headlining Save Me Tour, which kicked off on Jan. 30. She’s set to take the stage in San Antonio on Friday.
Contributing: Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY
